In search of the ancient yew tree in the Port of Canencia

Sextil means, according to the RAE, the place where the cattle rest. And that place that ruminants look for to take a nap is, obviously, like we humans look for, a cool, shady place, protected from the harsh rays of the sun, especially in summer. For this reason the term sextil It has been used in the mountain areas of the center of the peninsula to designate a shady place, normally a slope facing north or covered by leafy trees, and/or near streams, areas where there is shade and humidity almost all day. We can find many setiles in our mountains where you can lie down and sleep it off, but there is one with its own name, hidden in one of the purest and most biodiversity-rich spaces in the world. Sierra de Guadarrama: the Sestil del Maillo, located on the northern slopes of the Port of Canencia.

An ecological path allows us to explore this area chill out of the forest, reach the viewpoint of the spectacular Chorrera de Mojonavalle and, above all, discover the different plant species that make up this incredible natural area of ​​the National Parksome unique and inappropriate for these latitudes, and which now in autumn show us their most attractive face, with the pigments of the leaves of the trees turning from green to a whole range of ocher, yellow, orange and reddish tones…

Our route begins in the Recreational Area of ​​the Port of Canencia, at the foot of the Sierra de Morcueraa historic mountain pass that connects the municipalities of Miraflores de la Sierra, to the south, with Canencia, to the north. From here we take the GR10 forest track to immediately enter a wild pine forest in the direction of the Hornillo hostel. About 200 meters away is the Hornillo Fountainwhere we can refill our canteens before passing through an old pastoral hut and arriving at our first stop: the Mirador del Norte, a balcony with a wooden bench from where we can enjoy magnificent views of the entire Lozoya valley. We continue towards the Hornillo hostel, and a few meters before arriving, to the right, are the first unique trees that we can see along the way: some Douglas firs. Also known as Oregon pine, red spruce or yellow spruce, it is one of the most important tree species in North America for lumber production.

During the 19th century and much of the 20th century, Spain, like many European countries, was looking for fast-growing species and quality wood to repopulate degraded forests, and forestry engineers found the Douglas fir an ideal species due to its great adaptation to different soils and temperate climates, its rapid growth and because, compared to native pines, it produced a greater volume of useful wood in less time. That is why it was planted experimentally in our country in cool and humid mountainous areas in the north of the peninsula, in the Pyrenees and in the mountains of the Central System, among them, Morcuera. They are distinguished from pine trees because, unlike the latter, they appear in small groups or isolated specimens, by the upper bark of the trunk, which is rough and brown (that of the pine is smooth and light orange) and by their cones, which have bracts or tongues that protrude. Another sense that helps us distinguish it is smell: if We rub its leaves and it smells like citrusis a Douglas fir.

MORE THAN A THOUSAND YEARS

We continue the march after clue game to take the Ecological Path itself, which is marked by beacons and starts after the El Hornillo hostel. We have to leave the forest track to the right and take the path that enters another type of forest with other curious and rare specimens in these latitudes: four large specimens of birch, a species typical of central and northern Europe that is identified by its silvery trunk and its hanging branches with small toothed rhomboidal leaves.

The sound of water attracts us to the next natural monument: the Chorrera de Mojonavalle, a 30-meter waterfall that forms the Sestil del Maillo stream as it descends between the rocks. The stream originates a little higher, on the slope of the Perdiguera peak. You can go up to the Mirador de la Chorrera via a short staircase to the left of the path, next to an indicator panel. In this idyllic setting we have to look for another of the unique trees that the path reveals to us: a magnificent aspen o The trembling people: The peopleis the Latin name for poplars and poplars, the village treey tremble means that tremblesand its characteristic rounded leaves with wavy edges move with the slightest breeze.

From the chorrera the path turns to the right, going down the same slope, and when it reaches marker 4, it forks into two branches that return to the Mirador del Norte and to the starting point along two paths: we take the one on the right, which takes us to observe other very special tree species: the unmistakable acebos (with their leaves and red berries they make the well-known Christmas decorations) and the long-lived ones – they can live more than a thousand years – and mystical yews. Both, due to their uniqueness and scarcity, are subject to a special protection regime. Yews are recognized by the pyramidal shape of their crown, filled throughout the year with wide needles, which are, like all their poisonous parts due to its concentration of taxine, a very toxic alkaloid for humans and animals.

On an island between the bed of the Sestil stream and the end of the ecological path of the Bridge of the Pass one of the oldest specimens in the mountains is found, it is believed to be about 400 years old: the Tejo del Sestil de Maillo (listed as Singular Tree 229 of the Community of Madrid). The old tree, a vestige of the ancient weaves of the Morcuera mountain range, miraculously survives despite the damage caused by human action on it. A reminder at the end of this ecological path that warns us of the importance of approaching nature with respect, so that we continue to enjoy these magnificent forests that give us so much for many more generations.